The Effect of Ultraviolet Radiation on the Growth of Saccharomyces cerevisiae
School Name
Heathwood Hall Episcopal School
Grade Level
10th Grade
Presentation Topic
Microbiology
Presentation Type
Non-Mentored
Abstract
This experiment's purpose is to determine the effects of different exposure times of ultraviolet (UV) radiation on Saccharomyces Cerevisiae (S. cerevisiae), a model organism for experiments dealing with all types of life, including human skin cells. One of the most common diseases of human skin is skin cancer, which is mostly caused by direct contact with UV rays. In this experiment, small circles of S. cerevisiae were placed in the center of a petri dish, exposed to UV rays, and left to grow in a humid incubator for two days. The amount of S. cerevisiae growth was then counted over a piece of graph paper in square centimeters. 180 dishes were recorded, with four levels of exposure and a control group. The results suggested that the longer S. cerevisiae is exposed to UV radiation, the more growth it will have. The control group, treated with no UV radiation, had an average growth area of 1.03 cm2 ; the group treated with 20 minutes of UV radiation had an average growth area of 3.43 cm2; the group treated with 30 minutes of UV radiation had an average growth area of 7.86 cm2 ; and the group treated with 40 minutes of UV radiation had an average growth area of 16.97 cm2 . However, these results are likely a result of some error made during the procedure, because every other paper studied for this paper reached a result suggesting that extended UV radiation exposure stunts the growth of S. cerevisiae.
Recommended Citation
Ruskell, Jimmy, "The Effect of Ultraviolet Radiation on the Growth of Saccharomyces cerevisiae" (2020). South Carolina Junior Academy of Science. 261.
https://scholarexchange.furman.edu/scjas/2020/all/261
Location
Furman Hall 126
Start Date
3-28-2020 9:45 AM
Presentation Format
Oral and Written
Group Project
No
The Effect of Ultraviolet Radiation on the Growth of Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Furman Hall 126
This experiment's purpose is to determine the effects of different exposure times of ultraviolet (UV) radiation on Saccharomyces Cerevisiae (S. cerevisiae), a model organism for experiments dealing with all types of life, including human skin cells. One of the most common diseases of human skin is skin cancer, which is mostly caused by direct contact with UV rays. In this experiment, small circles of S. cerevisiae were placed in the center of a petri dish, exposed to UV rays, and left to grow in a humid incubator for two days. The amount of S. cerevisiae growth was then counted over a piece of graph paper in square centimeters. 180 dishes were recorded, with four levels of exposure and a control group. The results suggested that the longer S. cerevisiae is exposed to UV radiation, the more growth it will have. The control group, treated with no UV radiation, had an average growth area of 1.03 cm2 ; the group treated with 20 minutes of UV radiation had an average growth area of 3.43 cm2; the group treated with 30 minutes of UV radiation had an average growth area of 7.86 cm2 ; and the group treated with 40 minutes of UV radiation had an average growth area of 16.97 cm2 . However, these results are likely a result of some error made during the procedure, because every other paper studied for this paper reached a result suggesting that extended UV radiation exposure stunts the growth of S. cerevisiae.
